Cancer is a disease marked by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells. Cancer cells have overcome the natural controls imposed in normal cells, which have a finite lifespan. As the growth of cancer cells continues the cancerous cell may develop a more aggressive growth phenotype. If left untreated, metastasis, the spread of cancer cells to distant areas of the body by way of the lymph system or bloodstream, may ensue, destroying healthy tissue. Carcinoma of the prostate (PCA) is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in men in the United States, and is the second leading cause of male cancer deaths (Karp et al., 1996, Cancer Res. 56:5547-5556).
It would therefore be beneficial to provide methods and reagents for the diagnosis, staging, prognosis, monitoring, and treatment of cancers.